Demonstrating eco-conscious values and actively practising sustainability is at the core of Glassolutions’ daily operations and forms the foundations of its long-term business strategy. We spoke to Glassolutions and Saint-Gobain Glass’ Technical Project Manager, Richard Calcutt to find out more.
On September 23, 2019, Pierre-Andre de Chalendar, Group Chairman and CEO of Saint-Gobain, took to the stage at the United Nations Summit on Climate Change, pledging to make Saint-Gobain carbon neutral by 2050.
“The Glass Forever Programme was born from this commitment to net-zero carbon”, explains Glassolutions and Saint-Gobain Glass’ Technical Project Manager, Richard Calcutt. “We’re very fortunate to be working with a material that is endlessly recyclable, and Glass Forever has been developed to help maximise re-manufacturing opportunities using pre- and post-consumer cullet.
The Glass Forever programme is Saint-Gobain Glass’ closed-loop approach to sustainability. Cullet (waste glass) is sourced from two primary streams: pre-consumer waste which is generated during the manufacturing processes, and post-consumer glass from homes and commercial buildings throughout the UK.
London calling
“I collaborate extensively with companies throughout London, specialising in the collection of post-consumer cullet waste during demolition and deconstruction projects,” says Richard.
“In close partnership with our customers, I conduct thorough site visits to identify glass that is suitable for re-manufacturing, and I work on devising efficient collection and transportation methods to bring the recovered glass back to our Eggborough facility, ready to be re-manufactured.”
“Post-consumer cullet is arguably the most challenging of the cullet generation methods. Internal cullet and industrial cullet are largely confined to the manufacturing and processing sites and are therefore more readily available for us to access and control.
“With post-consumer cullet, we’re innovating new methods and solutions for the recovery and remanufacturing of end-of-life glass. We’re changing attitudes and challenging ideas and assumptions around what is possible during deconstruction.”
Branches and Businesses Together
Every Glassolutions branch actively participates in the programme. Each operator isolates their glass remnants and separates them into dedicated cullet bags that are specially made to hold sharp shards of glass. The bags are held in a frame or hopper to ensure that health and safety isn’t compromised in the busy factory environment, and once filled, they are sent back to Eggborough.
As well as internal usage, the programme is available to all glass manufacturers across the UK, with the equipment required supplied provided free of charge. The customers also benefit from the advantages of reverse logistics, utilising otherwise empty vehicles to return the cullet to Eggborough for re-manufacture into new high-performance products.
“We offer competitive market rates for good quality cullet. Not only are you having money put in your pocket for something that would otherwise be thrown away, but we’re also helping to off-set the cost of your waste management, alongside positively impacting the carbon footprint of your business”, explains Richard.
There are various handling and transportation methods available to customers depending on the size and scope of their cullet collections. These range from bags to skips, standing bulk trailers, and even a G23 Award-winning glass crushing machine, designed by Saint-Gobain Glass UK, that can be used to separate glass from IGUs, enabling the recycling of post-consumer glass.
The Results
For every tonne of cullet that is put back into the closed-loop manufacturing process, 700kg of scope 1,2 & 3 CO2 emissions are prevented from entering the atmosphere and enough energy is saved to power the average UK home for six months.
With six Glassolution branches contributing industrial cullet, Saint-Gobain Glass’ manufacturing facility at Eggborough contributing internal cullet, and a huge number of customers actively participating in the Glass Forever return scheme, the possibilities are endless.
“Since 2021, we’re remanufactured 860 kt (kt=thousands of tonnes) of cullet and prevented the use of 1 million kt of raw materials from being used in our production process. The planet only has a finite volume of resources, and it’s vital that we preserve what we can”, says Richard.
“Our target is that all of our flat glass will be manufactured with a 50% cullet content by 2025 – at present, we’re certainly on track to hit this number. Who knows what the future will hold: believe me when I say – we’re just getting started!”
